Boise State's Joe Southwick (16) celebrates after D.J. Harper (7) scored a touchdown during the first half of a NCAA college football game against Nevada on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012, in Reno, Nev. (AP Photo/Cathleen Allison)
— AP

Boise State's Joe Southwick (16) celebrates after D.J. Harper (7) scored a touchdown during the first half of a NCAA college football game against Nevada on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012, in Reno, Nev. (AP Photo/Cathleen Allison)
/ AP

San Diego State played an instrumental part in helping to get Boise State into the Big East by finding the Broncos a home for their other sports in the Big West.

Now, with Boise State returning to the Mountain West, the Aztecs could benefit from that good karma.

According to The Idaho Statesman, the Broncos’ new contract with the Mountain West includes a clause that could help the Aztecs get back into the league if they choose to do so.

The Broncos’ contract with the Mountain West state that the league “will extend an option for San Diego State University to join the MWC on terms mutually agreed between SDSU and the MWC and to join or decline before offering membership to any other institution.”

This means the Aztecs have the right to first refusal, a development that is all the more interesting when held in contrast with an ESPN report by Brett McMurphy which stated that “San Diego State wants back in the Mountain West, but the league is holding up the process as it decides whether there is a better fit than the Aztecs and if there is a school that can deliver more value.”

Thanks to Boise State’s consideration of SDSU in its contract with the Mountain West, the league has to extend an offer to SDSU before it attempts to offer membership to any other school.

According to Boise State’s contract, the Aztecs hold this right of first refusal until Jan. 31, 2013.

San Diego State has been fairly quiet about its intentions since news of Boise State’s departure broke on New Year’s Eve.

Athletic director Jim Sterk has not been available for interviews, and has only publicly addressed the matter in a statement released on Dec. 31, in which he said the Aztecs were monitoring the changes in conference realignment and would continue to evaluate their situation.

But that in itself marks a departure from the Aztecs’ previous reponses to questions about their commitment to the Big East. Until this past Monday, SDSU affirmed its commitment to the Big East every time the question was posed.